The best cheap eats in Brisbane

This South Brisbane institution is known for its cult-favourite falafel wrap, but if you’re feeling hungry-hungry, go for the lamb souvlaki or a vegan-friendly wrap stacked with crunchy veg and zippy sauces. Everything is fresh, made to order and comes in portions that make meal prepping feel pointless. Expect warm pita wraps of every persuasion – from free-range bacon with banana or fig jam for breakfast, to gado gado salad or lamb kofta with tabbouleh. Wraps hover around $15, bowls around $17. Informal, fast, healthy and guaranteed to hit the spot. Cha-ching. 

Price: Bowls from $15, wraps from $16.

A Brisbane institution, a carb lover’s paradise, a place of worship (literally – it's in a converted church). Pancake Manor is open 24/7 for all your syrup-drenched emergencies. The menu covers all the bases, from the strawberry patch – two buttermilk pancakes with fresh strawberries, coulis, cream and vanilla ice cream – to blueberry heaven, which swaps in blueberries and sauce. If you need something more substantial, their $19.95 lunch set (available from 11am to 5pm) offers an entree of your choice, followed by a single pancake with ice cream and maple syrup. Divine intervention, indeed. 

Price: One pancake for $7.50, lunch set menu for $21.95.

The humble sandwich gets a serious glow-up at Eat at Billys, courtesy of the meat maestros at Meat at Billys. Here, bread is just the foundation for layers of next-level ingredients. The menu boasts seven stacked options, each showcasing top-tier proteins. The 'Not A F*$&en Reuben' features melt-in-your-mouth, wood-smoked Wagyu brisket pastrami with red cheddar, pickles and their signature sauce. For fried chicken aficionados, 'The Redneck' offers double-fried free-range chicken tenders, iceberg lettuce and confit garlic mayo. Feeling porky? Try the 'Big Paulie', which includes pork belly porchetta with crispy crackling, salsa verde, pickled red onions, rocket and garlic mayo. Whatever you choose, it’s a meal that could outshine most sit-down dinners, and at under $20, it’s an absolute steal. But, these sandwiches aren’t just good, they’re popular. Like, sell-out-before-noon popular. If you have your heart set on one, set an alarm, clear your schedule and get there early. 

Price: Sandwiches from $18.

For the indecisive, Evra’s pay-by-weight system is the ultimate choose-your-own-adventure. Their ever-changing selection of hot and cold bar options covers all the cravings – from pesto pasta to marinara meatballs to their signature rotisserie chicken. The standout on the menu is undoubtedly the buffalo cauliflower – perfectly crisp and doused in a hot sauce so good, we’d drink it straight. For balance (or at least the illusion of it), there’s a rainbow of fresh salads loaded with grains, greens and market-fresh toppings. But, the best part? The sticker shock – except the good kind. You’ll be stunned by how much you can pile on your plate for under $20. Feels like a loophole, tastes like a win.

Price: Pay by weight.

A gastropub that understands we’re all just trying to have a good time without torching our wallets. The $18 lunch specials (Tuesday to Friday) are perfect for a midweek treat, weekends bring live music, Saturday drag brunches are a must, and trivia night turns Tuesdays into a high-stakes battle of wits (fuelled by $20 burgers). Throw in a happy hour from 4 to 6pm daily, and suddenly this spot feels less like a pub and more like a lifestyle choice.

Price: $18 lunch menu, $20 burger Tuesdays, $25 parmi and pint Thursdays.

As straightforward as its name suggests, Banhmi 7 Days delivers fresh, flavoursome Vietnamese sandwiches daily. The formula? Crispy baguettes, savoury fillings and fresh herbs that make every bite sing. Whether you go for the classic pork roll, the lemongrass chicken or the tofu banh mi, you’re guaranteed maximum flavour for minimal spend. The rest of the menu also delivers with vermicelli salads and traditional beef pho – both at prices that feel like a glitch in the matrix.

Price: Banh mi $12, bowls $15.

A little NYC flavour, minus the NYC rent. Red Hook is all about messy, two-handed American street food – burgers, crispy fried chicken and fries so loaded, they practically count as a meal. Their $22 lunch combo gets you a Brooklyn cheeseburger or fowl play with a side of salt and vinegar fries and a Young Henrys tinny. On Wednesdays, wings are just $1 a pop if you commit to 12 (someone once ate 100 – you, too, can aspire to greatness). Trivia night means $10 cheeseburgers and gin spritzes, so you can flex your obscure knowledge while eating like a champion. The charming laneway vibes add to the illusion that you’re somewhere in the Lower East Side, minus the subway rats.

Price: $1 wings on Wednesday, $14 cheeseburgers.

The appeal of Taro’s is simple. It’s $19.50 for any variety of really, really good ramen. The tonkotsu ramen has a rich, silky texture and free-range egg atop. (Taro’s takes its eggs seriously, and it only buys from certified organic suppliers). For those of you who like your ramen a little lighter, try the shio ramen, which is made with a salt-flavoured umami base prepared in a pressure cooker for maximum flavour. The ambience at Taro’s is equally tasty, staffed with friendly, smiling staff who are happy to help guide you through your choices. In our humble opinion, nothing quite washes a ramen down like an ice-cold frothy, and at Taro's, you'll find Suntory Premium Malts and Orion on tap, served in chilled pint glasses with a handle.

Price: Ramen $19.50.

If you live outside Brisbane, it’s likely you haven’t yet heard of Botanica – but you will soon. The appeal is that it's kind of the Aesop of salads: cool little shops with a fairly permanent line outside each one, doing takeaway vegetarian salads to order ($15.75 for a small box with three flavours). Get the raw broccoli salad, which comes in thin slices, drizzled with garlic cashew cream. Or the freekeh salad, with roasted eggplant, prunes, mint and almonds coated in creamy turmeric sauce. There are also baked cakes and brownies. Find Botanica in Red Hill, Hawthorne, Camp Hill, Albion and Teneriffe.

Price: Small box (three salads) $15.75.

Located in the old Palmdale shopping centre, opposite Garden City, Watany is a morning walk through Beirut with its fresh bread, classic olive oil, sumac and za’atar trio, and rare Arabic produce. The underwhelming view of the car park completely contrasts with what you're getting here: a wholesome Lebanese breakfast representing various regions in Lebanon and the Middle East, served with tea and stories. The falafel plate features five fresh falafel balls served with salad, pickles and tahini sauce ($14.99), while the za’atar pastry is less than $5 a pop. For a classic, order the spinach and feta manoushi or the lamb fatayer. 

Price: Fresh bread $1.50, with toppings from $4.80; falafel plate $14.99.

This salad-meets-sushi spot lets you build your own bowl, mixing bases like brown rice or soba noodles with proteins like salmon sashimi and tofu. Add as many toppings as you want (yes, seaweed crunch counts), and you’ve got a meal that feels virtuous without tasting boring. Regular bowls range from $12.90 to $18.90, making it an easy, healthy option that won’t break the bank. They regularly drop DoorDash deals up to 40 per cent off, so if leaving the house feels like too much effort, your ideal bowl can come straight to you (no pants required). 

Price: Tofu Boys $12.90, Miso Chicken $13.90, Lemon Chicken Box $11.90.

Shoulder to shoulder with Charlie’s fruit and veg and neighbour to Body Fit Training is sweet-and-savoury bakery Veganyumm. Whether you sit in for a snack or take home a pack, be prepared to pick and choose more than you thought you would. This place has the best vegan chicken pesto toasties, with a perfect crisp and creamy texture. For an ideal experience, sit with your back to the gym entrance, close your eyes (save your gaze for the dessert display later) and listen to the crunch of your toastie. The best part? This place closes 9pm every night. Don’t forget to grab a chunky brownie or savoury pie on your way out!

Price: Pies $12, baked goods from $8.

It’s not your conventional cheap eat – after all, Bunnings isn’t exactly a restaurant – but their weekend sausage sizzle is one of Brisbane’s best-kept secrets for a quick, satisfying meal on a budget. For just $3.50, you get a sizzling sausage in a piece of white bread, generously topped with onions and doused in your choice of sauce. Most are run by charities, so you’re supporting a good cause while stuffing your face. Whether you’re grabbing one mid-DIY run gone wrong or making a weekend pilgrimage, this iconic Aussie cheap eat delivers every time.

Price: Sausage in bread $3.50.

The genuine love of seafood is evident at this large fishmonger with a dining room and sushi bar attached. The kitchen up the back does a roaring trade in some of the freshest fish and chips you'll find – restaurant-quality eats at takeaway prices. You can find a superb piece of grilled cod for $10, or $20 as part of a meal deal with chips, salad, tartare and lemon. Our piece of salmon ($14) was cooked a perfect medium rare, pink and meltingly soft; the skin on top was crisped to perfection and the seasoning was spot on. Beer-battered chips are crunchy and moreish. The sushi bar, meanwhile, is well above the average in freshness, quality and price, and worth every cent.

Price: Fish from $14, with chips and sald from $24.

A craft beer, wine and liquor bar that does great food, Zero Fox is the kind of place you take a date when you want to look sophisticated without spending much money. Their Japanese/Korean fusion menu comes in tapas-style portions that are mostly priced between $7 and $21. Special mention goes to the katsu sando, which are neat little sandwiches filled with richly crumbed pork and crunchy slaw. There are also heaps of vegetarian options, along with a considered drinks menu that features an exhaustive list of Australian gins. So come along for the food, but stay so you can drink your way through a gin from every state and territory in the nation.

Price: Small plates from $7, sushi rolls from $13.

Loving Hut is an international vegan fast food franchise and your one-stop shop for a quality feed made with good intentions. Above a freezer filled with various take-home vegan produce sits a busy takeaway-style menu. From noodles and curries to nuggets and pastries, the cuisine offered is both eclectic and exciting. At first, you’re not sure what to expect, there’s no specific vibe to the place, and the dishes share no theme other than being vegan. But it’s love at first sight when your meal arrives – we had the Singapore Noodles ($17.50), the Loving Hut Laksa ($17.80) and shared the heavenly salad ($13.50).  Snacks start at $6.50 for the steamed barbecue buns.

Price: Snacks from $6.50, mains from $17.50.

The second best thing about Remy’s is the beer garden, which sits beneath a shady tree and overlooks one of Paddington’s many palm-lined valleys. But the first best thing is that Remy’s does $12 cheeseburgers, or $17 for a double. And we’re talking burgers like god intended: big, fat, thick patties festooned with a grass-fed beef patty, cheese, salad and loads of sauce. Visit during happy hour for $10 tinnies, $12 wines and $25 Sangria jugs, and you’ll start to feel like some kind of god yourself.

Price: $12 cheeseburgers.

If you want really good Chinese on a budget, go to this place where the chef, Richard Li, specialises in Shandong cuisine. His sweet and sour pork is a perfect medley of crisp meat and vegetables in a sweet glaze. Their special fried rice has more fun bits (fun meaning egg, bacon, prawns) than actual rice. And they do a comforting chicken and sweet corn soup that’s pretty hard to beat. We like to come here for a $15 lunch special, available from Tuesday to Friday. Also, its corner position on two Teneriffe streets makes it an excellent place to perch and people-watch. 

Price: $15 lunch special.

Betty has quickly claimed her territory along the East Coast, with three stores in Brisbane. One of the busiest of the bunch is in the trendy West Village precinct. Don't dismiss this chain as just another burger bar: Betty's burgers are good, and they start at just $12.90. They’re made with Angus beef, fried chicken or 'shrooms', and you can fling on pickles, pineapple, avocado or bacon for a few bucks extra. Finish on a sweet note with Betty's concretes – custard ice creams enriched even further with sauces, crumbles and toppings.

Price: Betty's Classic $12.90.

Don't be put off by the unassuming food court exterior – Sushi Kotobuki is one of Brisbane’s best-kept sushi secrets. This tiny, unassuming sushi joint is the definition of "if you know, you know" with rolls and bento boxes that feel like daylight robbery in the best way. The sushi rolls are oversized and packed with premium fillings. The bento boxes are a full-blown feast at a fraction of the price you'd expect. The salmon aburi is pure, buttery magic, and the crunchy chicken sushi roll is a whole meal disguised as a snack at $13. The only catch: it's small, it's always busy and you will wait. But all will be forgiven when you take that first bite.

Price: Sushi rolls from $4.80, don bowls from $14.50, bento boxes $19.

It was a great day back in 2007 when buddies Ritesh and Sandip arrived in Australia from India with a mere $1,000 in their back pockets. They began selling spices, opened Mirchh Masala grocery store, and hatched a plan to bring authentic Indian street food to Brisbane. House specialities include puffed and stuffed pani puri ($10.99 for eight pieces), fried samosa ($3.99 for one), and chole bhatura – a warming feast of chickpeas with airy, whoopee cushion-like pillows of house-made bread ($13.50). All pastries, doughs and curry pastes are made in the tiny Mirchh kitchen. Every one of the estimated 300-400 samosas served daily is housemade, as is the ice cream on display in the dining room freezer. A mango lassi is a cooling end to a spiced-up night of feasting at Mirchh.

Price: Snacks from $4, dosa from $12.99, thali $19.99.

Tucked into a little old garage on a side street, Ruen Phae feels somewhat out of place among all the CrossFit gyms of Teneriffe, but its complete lack of pretence is what makes it so good. The chairs are plastic. Overhead fans stir the air. We got the jungle curry ($18.80), which was zesty and fresh with big prawns in generous numbers, all imbued with that delicate smokiness of a scolding hot wok. Their spring rolls ($8) are perfectly crunchy, while their Thai beef salad ($19.80) is spicy yet fresh. This is some of the best Thai food in Brisbane.

Price: Starters from $8; curries, stir-fries, noodles and rice dishes from $18.80.